Larimer behavioral-health facility delayed, contract for services renewed

LARIMER COUNTY — Larimer County has amended its professional services agreement with SummitStone Health Partners, the organization that will operate the county’s new behavioral health center once it is completed.

The center is delayed from its original target date due to design and construction delays and now will open in mid-2023, the county Board of Commissioners was told at its Sept. 7 meeting.  That prompted the changes in the county’s agreement with SummitStone.

In addition to the completion date change, the amended agreement also reflects the addition of several services and positions to support mental health needs in the county and the future opening of the facility. The county’s Behavioral Health Services will expand levels of care available now to county residents using the contracted vendor, SummitStone, and its existing facilities.

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“We are excited to be at this next point in the project, building the on-ramp to the opening of the new BHS Facility,” Laurie Stolen, director of Behavioral Health Services for the county, said in a written statement. “With facility design and planning complete, and construction beginning, operationally, we enter start-up work now, building workforce pipelines, building partnerships, and prioritizing next steps to ensure the most seamless opening possible,” she said.

The new facility is slated to bring more than 180 new jobs to Larimer County. SummitStone is planning a nationwide recruitment effort to attract care providers and will also work with local colleges, starting with the Colorado State University School of Social Work, to create training and internship programs that will offer students clinical experience with the potential for employment at the facility.

SummitStone will recruit to fill key roles for the facility such as an executive director and a business-development liaison focused on developing relationships with entities that have a particular focus on serving populations of color and those experiencing vulnerabilities for recruitment of interns and employees, the county said in a press release.

Hiring care coordinators before the opening will allow them to gain hands-on experience navigating the options available in Larimer County.

Once open, services at the facility will include:

• Behavioral health urgent care: Available 24/7.
• Two levels of withdrawal management (detox).
• Medication-assisted treatment.
• Crisis Stabilization Unit — A short-term residential program that provides care to individuals with moderate to severe acute psychiatric or co-occurring crises.
• Short-term intensive residential treatment — A short-term residential program that provides care to clients focused on recovery after detox.
• On-site pharmacy and lab services.

The new facility will be located at 2100 W. Trilby Road, Fort Collins.

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